1. Spring Final Study Guide
Name:
Date: Period:
Spring Final Study Guide
Explain why matter is able to cycle.
Explain why the carbon cycle is referred to as a “biogeochemical” cycle.
List two chemical reactions in the carbon cycle that remove carbon from the atmosphere.
List two chemical reactions in the carbon cycle that add carbon to the atmosphere.
Explain why burning coal in a factory could cause the die-off of a nearby coral reef.
Explain why burning coal could cause an increase in global temperatures.
The air around us is filled with N2 gas. Explain why most living things are unable to use this form of nitrogen.
Describe the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the nitrogen cycle.
Explain how nitrogen-fixing bacteria are able to break the N2 molecule.
In addition to nitrogen fixation, describe another way that nitrogen enters the soil.
Describe the process of denitrification in the nitrogen cycle.
Explain why energy is unable to cycle (two-part answer).

2. 13. Assuming the grass in the food chain below has 700 calories:
a. State how many calories the hawk has
b. Explain why there are no trophic levels above the hawk
14. Identify the tertiary consumer in the food chain above, and defend your answer.
15. Identify the main producers:
a. On land:
b. In the ocean:
c. In a hydrothermal vent ecosystem:
16. Differentiate between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis.
17. Explain why food webs are more realistic than food chains.
18. Explain why cells must divide, rather than continuing to grow larger (two-part answer).
19. Explain why cells must replicate their DNA before dividing.
20. Explain why chromosomes form before a cell divides.
21. Identify the 2 main parts of the cell cycle.
22. When looking at cells through a microscope, explain why most of the cells are in interphase.
23. Complete the chart below
Part of Cell Cycle
What Occurs G1 S G2
Mitosis
Cytokinesis

3. Part of Cell Cycle How the Cell Looks
24. Complete the chart below.
25. Describe the function of spindle fibers, and identify the step of mitosis when they do their job.
26. Differentiate between animal cell and plant cell cytokinesis.
27. Explain what happens to cells without cyclin.
28. Describe what happens during metastasis.
29. Explain why the DNA molecule is described as a double helix.
30. Describe the role of hydrogen bonds in DNA.
31. Describe the role of covalent bonds in DNA.
32. Explain why all living things on Earth are able to use the same 4 nucleotides (A, T, C, G) in their DNA.
33. Differentiate between purines and pyramidines.
34. Explain why DNA replication is considered a chemical reaction, and explain why this reaction will not occur without the help of enzymes.
Part of Cell Cycle
How the Cell Looks G1 S
End of G2
Prophase
Metaphase
Anaphase
Telophase
Cytokinesis

4. 35. Describe the role of helicase in DNA replication.
36. Describe the role of DNA polymerase in DNA replication.
37. Explain how DNA polymerase knows which bases to add to the new strand during DNA replication.
38. Identify the second job of DNA polymerase.
39. List the two parts of protein synthesis.
Describe the process of transcription.
Explain why DNA must be transcribed in order for the cell to make protein.
42. List 3 chemical differences between DNA and mRNA.
Explain why mRNA must be chemically different from DNA.
Transcribe the DNA strand below into mRNA:
C G C C A A T T G G C G C A C
Describe the role of mRNA polymerase during transcription.
46. Explain why mRNA is a much shorter molecule than DNA.
47. Describe the process of translation.
48. Describe how a ribosome reads mRNA during translation.
49. Describe the role of tRNA during translation.
50. Use the codon chart to translate the mRNA from question #44 into protein.
51. Differentiate between DNA and a single gene.

5. X 52. Explain why living things produce gametes.
53. Explain why living things have 2 copies of every gene.
54. Explain why alleles are referred to as different “versions” of a gene.
55. Explain where new alleles come from.
56. State whether the offspring of two black, green-eyed cats is considered a hybrid, and defend your answer.
57. Explain what pollen is.
Explain why flowers are able to self-pollinate.
Explain why Mendel chose to cross-pollinate the pea plants in his experiment.
Explain why the tall (T) and short (t) alleles did not blend in the F1 hybrid generation.
Explain why two recessive alleles were able to pair up to produce a short plant in the F2 generation.
Explain why the genotypes TT and Tt would both produce a tall phenotype.
Explain why “tt” is the only possible genotype for a short phenotype.
In sheep, white wool is dominant (W), while black wool is recessive (w). Two white sheep produce
offspring, as shown in the diagram below.
64. Identify the parents as homozygous dominant, homozygous recessive, or heterozygous, and defend your answer. X

6. 65. Construct a Punnett square showing a cross between a homozygous recessive sheep and a heterozygous sheep. Remember to calculate probabilities.
66. For the cross above, state the probability of producing:
Homozygous dominant offspring:
Heterozygous offspring:
Homozygous recessive offspring:
67. Complete the diagram below.
68. Explain why the gametes produced by living things are not identical.
69. Explain why it is beneficial to produce offspring that are genetically different from each other.
Differentiate between incomplete dominance and co-dominance.
Give a real-life example of co-dominance.
72. Differentiate between a multiple-allele trait and a polygenic trait.
Probabilities:
WW:
Ww:
ww:
White wool:
Black wool:
Flower Color
Plant Height
Purple (P)
Tall (T)
White (p)
Short (t)
Heterozygous parent:
White, short parent: